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Sidi Genius - a little wide in the heel?

2.5K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  RedNose44  
#1 ·
I recently purchased a pair of Sidi Genius Pro 5 shoes to replace my Shimanos. They get rave reviews, my wife loves hers, and the felt good in the store. I first went with a size 46, but when I got on the bike I realized that they were a size too big - even though, and, they felt fine in the store. My heels were slipping a little. So I tossed them on eBay and bought them one size smaller - 45.5, which still felt fine (any smaller and my toes would be cramped). But still, my heel is not feeling very snug. They may be snug enough, and they're otherwise an improvement over the Shimanos. But there still is this annoying slippage.

So, has anyone else experienced this with Sidis? They're supposed to run small and narrow, but that's not my experience. They seem to have a little extra room in the heel.
 
#2 ·
I bought a pair of Sidis after wearing Shimano shoes for a long time. I didn't like them & sold them after about 4 months of riding them. I only bought them because Shimano discontinued my favorite model. I didn't think they were any kind of improvement over the Shimanos.

That said, maybe there's some kind of insert you can use in the heel area to snug it up. If it were me I'd take a look at the local drugstore for Dr. Scholls or Spenco displays. You might also take a look here: Women's Shoes, Men's Shoes, Walking Shoes, Sandals, Slippers, Socks, Support Hose, Foot Care, Orthopedic & Comfort Products :: FootSmart
 
#5 ·
I couldn't agree more assuming the Shimanos fit you well. My Specialized Pros have a buckle & I'll be damned if I can tell any improvement over straps. A you ride your feet swell & for me I've found there's no need for adjustment. Almost all cycling shoes have very little if any leather in them. They don't stretch.
 
#4 ·
I wouldn't give up on the Sidi's so quickly, especially for shoes without a ratcheting buckle. I don't have any references to cite but my years of experience have found Sidi road and MtB shoes superior.

I assume you know you can reach down and apply more tension on the buckle after 10-20 min of riding? Your socks compress, the shoes stretch, and a little tension helps snug them up.

There are also narrow and wide sizes in Sidi. You might benefit from the narrow, but I think the regular tends to run narrow.
 
#6 ·
Shoes - get the ones that fit. It appears that Sidi shoes do not fit. Get a different brand of shoes that do fit. Hope this helps.
 
#7 ·
Shoes are almost as bad as saddles...

I went: Vittoria, Sidi (Genius) and now S-works. Vittoria's had a flexy first-gen injected sole and never had a good heel fit. Eventually the sole and the upper separated here and that is what leads me to suspect the flexing sole-loose heel fit hypothesis.

The Sidi's started with great heel hold but lately I found that no matter how hard I reefed down on the straps and buckle my foot seemed to be squirming inside the shoe, both at the front and the heel.

The S-works (carbon sole) actually seems to have a looser fit for the upper but it feels much more secure. Perhaps the boa straps help a bit but I really think the stiffness has some impact...